Advisor Awards

Advising Award Nominations

Nomination Eligibility

Nominees must be current ODU employees and meet the outlined criteria of the award category.

Nomination Closing Date

Nominations for the ODU Advising Awards must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on October 24, 2024.

Nomination Submission

Submit the online nomination form (preferred) or email the nomination packet to the awards chair: Cat Moss, cbmoss@odu.edu

For the email, write "ODAN Awards: [Insert Category]" as the subject. In the text of your email please include this information:

Name of Nominee, title, college/department, and email
Nomination award category (New Advisor, Primary Role, Advising Administrator, or Faculty Advisor)
Your name (as the nominator), title, college/department, and email

Please review the eligibility criteria and nomination application requirements prior to submission.

The nomination packet should include the following:

1. Nomination/Application Letter

This letter should summarize the nominee/applicant's qualifications and why the individual is being nominated for the award. This document should provide the evidence and specific examples that demonstrate excellent performance. Input from others is encouraged as the nomination letter is composed and may include quotes or comments from colleagues and students. The letter should not exceed three pages, single spaced.

2. Letters of Support

Include up to two additional letters of support. These letters may come from colleagues, employees, supervisors, or students - anyone who might augment the selection committee's understanding of the nominee. Letters should not exceed two pages single spaced.

3. Nominee Resume or Curriculum Vita

Please limit entries to material that pertains directly to academic advising, presenting relevant information from the nominees overall resume/vita. Please include your current job with either a position description or a list of job responsibilities.

4. Personal Philosophy Statement (optional but encouraged)

Please provide a personal philosophy statement regarding their (nominees) approach to advising and/or advising administration. This document should not exceed two pages single spaced.

Recommendations:

Use the NACADA Region 2 Awards rubrics as a guide.

Address letters to the "Awards Committee" or "Awards Chair" and refer to the award by the category name to reduce any edits needed when submitting award winners' packets for the NACADA Region 2 Awards.

When possible, please submit the nomination packet as one PDF.

Note:

ODU Advising Award winners in the New Advisor, Primary Role and Faculty Advisor catagories must be a current member of NACADA at the time of their Region 2 award nomination submission.

The Old Dominion Advising Network (ODAN) oversees the ODU Advising Awards.

An Awards Chair will coordinate the Awards Committee for each awards category. The Awards Committe is an anonymous group of 3-5 advisors to include a combination of past ODU award winners for the cooresponding category and select ODAN executive board members.

*Nominators or those writing letters of support may not serve on the awards committee for the category in which they are nominating someone.

The Awards Committee will evaluate applications/nominations on the evidence of qualities and practices that distinguish the nominee as an outstanding academic advisor. Such evidence may include, but is not limited to:

Interpersonal/human relations skills
Professional practices
Documented success
Documented advisor development

Award winners will be announced via the university advising listserv, invited to the annual ODU faculty and staff awards dinner in April, and presented with an award plaque.

The ODU Advising Award Winners from each category are eligible to be nominated for NACADA Region 2 and NACADA Global Awards.

Nominations for the NACADA Region 2 Awards will close at 11:59pm (central time) on November 4.

We strongly recommend reviewing the rubrics for the NACADA Region 2 Awards when working on a nomination packet.

Also, check out the NACADA Region 2 blog for the July 21, 2020 post about Tips for a Strong Nomination.

NACADA Region 2 Advising Award Eligibility Criteria:

New Advisor, Primary Role Advisor, and Faculty Advisor nominees/applicants must be a current member of NACADA at the time of application.
Nominee/applicant must have worked in the advising profession for a minimum of one (1) year.
Nominee/applicant may apply only in their own region.

NACADA Global award nominations for Primary Role, Faculty Advisor, Administrator, New Advisor, and New Faculty Advisor are due around March of each year.

ODU Advising Award Categories & Eligibility Criteria

Individuals whose primary role at the institution is the direct delivery of advising services to students. Nominees must directly advise students at least 50% of their time and who have served as an advisor for a period of at least one (1) but no more than three (3) years.

Individuals whose primary role at the institution is the direct delivery of advising services to students. Nominees must spend at least 50% of their time on direct delivery of advising to students and have at least 3 years (calendar years) of experience in direct delivery of advising to students.

*Strong nominations will highlight the nominee's advising success and impact on students, including quotes or support letter from an advisee(s).

Individuals whose primary responsibility is teaching and who spend a portion of their time providing academic advising services to students. Nominees must spend at least 50% of their time on teaching or research and have at least 1 calendar year of advising experience.

Individuals who may provide direct academic advising services but whose primary responsibility is as an administrator or director of an academic advising program. Nominees must have a minimum of 3 years (calendar years) in advising administration with at least 50% of their duties dedicated to advising administration.

Advising Award Winners

2023-24 2022-23 2021-22 2020-21 2019-20 2018-2011

New Advisor: Sierra Garrett, Academic Advisor, College of Arts and Letters

Advisor-Primary Role: Connie Estep, Student Success Director, Division of Digital Learning

Advising Administrator: Jennifer Hudson, Director of Intake and Student Success, Division of Digital Learning

Faculty Advisor: Suzanne Morrow, College of Sciences, Department of Psychology

New Advisor: Christine Woods, Academic Advisor, College of Sciences

Advisor-Primary Role: Pam Beatty, Student Success Director, Division of Digital Learning (also recognized with a 2023 NACADA Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Primary Role Certificate of Merit)

Advising Administrator: Erin Colwell, Director of Advising, Center for Major Exploration and Mane Connect Success Coaching

Faculty Advisor: Michelle Carpenter, Chief Department Advisor and Senior Lecturer in Marketing, Strome College of Business (also recognized with a 2023 NACADA Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Advising Administrator Certificate of Merit)

Advisor-Primary Role: Tanisha Bradley, Assistant Director, College of Arts & Letters Advising

Advising Administrator: Kristin Eden, Director of Student-Athlete Academic Services (also recognized with a 2022 NACADA Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Advising Administrator Certificate of Merit)

Faculty Advisor: Brenda Bradshaw, Assistant Professor, School of Dental Hygiene, College of Health Sciences

New Advisor: Kerri Svoboda-Musick , Academic Advisor, College of Sciences

Advisor-Primary Role: Catherine Moss, Assistant Director of Advisor Support and Completion Initiatives, Center for Advising Administration and Academic Partnerships (also recognized as the 2021 NACADA Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Primary Role & 2021 NACADA Global Outstanding Advising-Primary Role award winner)

Advising Administrator: Reneldo Randall, Director of Advising, College of Sciences (also recognized with a 2021 NACADA Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Advising Administrator Certificate of Merit)

Faculty Advisor: Saltuk Karahan, Cybersecurity Advisor in The School of Cybersecurity and Lecturer in Political Science & Geography and Cybersecurity

New Advisor: Matt Hart, Student Success Director, College of Sciences, ODUOnline (Also recognized with a 2020 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - Advisor-Primary Role Certificate of Merit)

Advisor-Primary Role: Jacob Tousignant, Academic Advisor, College of Health Sciences (Also recognized with a 2020 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - Advisor-Primary Role Certificate of Merit)

Faculty Advisor: Capt. Charlene Brassington, Master Lecturer and Chief Departmental Advisor, Department of Community & Environmental Health, College of Health Sciences

Advising Administrator: Terri Wheaton, Director of Current Student Coaching and Advising, ODUOnline (Also recognized with a 2020 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - Advising Administrator Certificate of Merit)

2017-18

New Advisor: Nnamdi Small, Student Success Advisor, College of Arts and Letters, ODUOnline (Also recognized with the 2019 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - New Advisor Certificate of Merit)

Advisor-Primary Role: Robert Batchelder, Advisor and Business Manager, Career and Advising Resource Center, Darden College of Education and Professional Studies

Faculty Advisor: Carla Harrell, Master Lecturer and Chief Departmental Advisor, Department of Communication and Theatre Arts, College of Arts and Letters (Also recognized with the 2019 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - Faculty Advisor Award and the 2019 NACADA Global Outstanding Advising Award - Faculty Academic Advising Certificate of Merit)

Advising Administrator: Trey Mayo, Director of Advising, Darden College of Education and Professional Studies (Also recognized with the 2019 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - Advising Administrator Award)

2016-17

New Advisor: Stacey Parks, Academic Advisor, Interdisciplinary Studies-Teacher Preparation, College of Arts and Letters (Also recognized with the 2017 Region 2 Excellence in Advising - New Advisor award)

Advisor-Primary Role: Michele Mitchell, Assistant Director and Chief Departmental Advisor, Interdisciplinary Studies-Teacher Preparation, College of Arts and Letters

Advising Administrator: Christine Ricks, Director of Sophomore Success and Continuance Officer, Advising and Transfer Programs

2015-16

New Advisor: Sherri Watson, Success Advisor/Coach, Center for Major Exploration

Advisor-Primary Role: Trey Mayo, Academic Advisor and Program Manager, Modeling, Simulation, and Visualization Engineering, Batten College of Engineering

Faculty Advisor: Jeff Toussaint, Lecturer and Chief Departmental Advisor, Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, College of Arts and Letters

Advising Administrator: Dave McMillan, Region and Student Success Director, Distance Learning

2014-15

New Advisor: Adam Hanson, Academic Advisor, Strome College of Business

Advisor-Primary Role: Tania Alvarez, Coordinator of Transfer Advising and Articulations, Advising and Transfer Programs *Nominated in former role as Success Advisor, Batten College of Engineering and Technology (Also recognized with 2015 Region 2 Excellence in Advising Advisor-Primary Role and 2015 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Primary Role awards)

Faculty Advisor: Katherine Jackson, Senior Lecturer, Department of English, College of Arts and Letters

Advising Administrator: Joe Ritchie, Director of First-Year Student Success, Advising and Transfer Programs

Dr. Brian Payne, Vice Provost for Graduate and Undergraduate Academic Programs (Recognized with 2014 Region 2 NACADA Outstanding Advising Advocate award)

2013-14

New Advisor: Catherine Moss, Coordinator of Sophomore Success and Continuance, Advising and Transfer Programs (Also recognized with 2014 NACADA Outstanding New Advisor Certificate of Merit)

Advisor-Primary Role: Doug Brown, Site Director at Wytheville Community College, Distance Learning (Also recognized with 2014 Region 2 Excellence in Advising Advisor-Primary Role award and the 2014 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Primary Role Certificate of Merit)

Faculty Advisor: Janice Hawkins, Lecturer, Department of Nursing, College of Health Sciences (Also recognized with 2014 Region 2 Excellence in Advising Advisor-Faculty award)

Advising Administrator: Dr. Leigh Butler, Assistant Dean, Teacher Education Services, Darden College of Education and Professional Studies (Also recognized 2014 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Administrator Certificate of Merit)

2012-13

New Advisor: Katie Ferrara, College Advisor, College of Health Sciences (Also recognized with 2013 Region 2 Excellence in Advising-New Advisor award & 2013 NACADA Outstanding New Advisor Certificate of Merit)

Advisor-Primary Role: Tammey Johnson, Program Advisor, Interdisciplinary Studies-Teacher Preparation Program, College of Arts and Letters

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Ed Gomez, Associate Professor and Coordinator of the Park, Recreation & Tourism Studies program, Darden College of Education (Also recognized with 2013 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Faculty award)

Advising Administrator: Daniela Cigularova, Assistant Director, ODU-Virginia Beach Higher Ed Center (Also recognized with 2013 Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Administrator award & 2013 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Administrator Certificate of Merit)

2011-12

New Advisor: Brooke Brown, Assistant Director, Transfer Advising and Articulation, Academic Enhancement

Advisor-Primary Role: Connie J. Morgan, Undergraduate and Transfer Advisor, ODU Peninsula Higher Ed Center

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Thomas Socha, Professor of Communication, College of Arts and Letters (Also recognized with 2012 Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Faculty award & 2012 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Faculty Certificate of Merit)

Sandy Waters, Assistant Dean, Advising and Transfer Programs (Recognized with 2012 Region 2 Excellence in Advising-Administrator & 2012 NACADA Outstanding Advisor-Administrator awards)

2010-11

New Advisor: Morgan Morrison, University College Success Advisor to the College of Arts and Letters (Also recognized with 2011 Region 2 Outstanding New Advisor & 2011 NACADA Outstanding New Advisor awards)

Advisor-Primary Role: Marena Hill-Bartos, Site Director-Richmond, Distance Learning

Faculty Advisor: Jennifer Younkin, CDA and Lecturer in Psychology, College of Sciences

Advising Administrator: Kim Herbert, Director, College of Sciences Advising Center

Dr. Carol Simpson, Provost & Vice President for Academic Affairs (Recognized with 2011 Region 2 Outstanding Advising Advocate award)